Conventional garage door openers are usually provided with an overhead incandescent or filament lamp mounted near the door's lifting motor which are wired to be actuated when the door is opened. A timing circuit associated with the lamp allows the lamp to remain lit for a predetermined time interval before it is shut down. This time interval allows the user time to leave their vehicle and enter the house as light is provided. Normally, such door opener lighting systems have proven themselves suitable for their intended purpose.
There are, however, inherent drawback to such conventional lighting systems. Using incandescent lights requires the use of a relatively large amount of power with a resulting low output of radiated visible light. In contrast, using a rapid start fluorescent tubes consuming less electrical power can output more visible light per unit of input power. Thus, in place of a single 60 watt incandescent light bulb two sets of fluorescent shop lights (four tubes total) will not only consume less energy but give off more visible light. To permit the use of such fluorescent tubes compact conversion control units have been developed for use with conventional garage door openers as described thereafter.